TIME ZONE HELL

I often hear comments about our time zones in Indiana. Sometimes I’m even the one leading the conversation!

Part of our state is on Eastern Time, the remainder is on Central Time. For most of us, it’s just a way to drive us crazy.

Why can’t we draw the lines around the border of the state? The entire state is on either Eastern or Central. Logic, would suggest that we all be on Central Time. But who determines ‘logic’ around here anyway?

I guess it could be worse. We think we have problems in Indiana with 2 time zones? In Russia, they have 11 time zones! And like us Hoosiers, some of them are wondering 'why', while others are saying, “Please don’t change it!”

An Associated Press article states, President Dmitry Medvedev suggested Thursday that Russia reduce the number of time zones in the name of economic efficiency, which could have residents in the far eastern city of Vladivostok eating their breakfast at the same time their Chinese neighbors just a few miles away are slurping their noodles at lunch.

With one-ninth of the world's land mass, Russia stretches from Kaliningrad, which is next to Poland, more than 5,500 miles to the eastern tip of Chukotka, across the Bering Strait from Alaska. By contrast, it's nearly 2,700 miles across the four time zones of the 48 contiguous states in the U.S.

Thus, when the Kremlin’s bell tower on Red Square tolls 9 a.m. at the start of the business day in Moscow, it's already 6 p.m. in the farthest part of Russia's Far East. Russia's vastness is a source of national pride, but it also hinders economic development, Medvedev said. "The examples of other countries — the U.S., China — show that it is possible to cope with a smaller time difference," Medvedev said in his annual state-of-the-nation speech. "We need to examine the possibility of reducing the number of time zones."

Medvedev didn't say how extensive any cut would be, but it would likely mean shrinking to just four time zones: one each for Kaliningrad, Moscow, the Ural Mountains region and the vast reaches of Siberia and the Far East.

Cutting down to four zones would likely mean residents of the Pacific coast would see the sunset before 3 p.m. at this time of year.

I guess the old saying "you can’t please everyone"…applies…when you’re messing with our time.


Dan